While those players taken in the first round of the NBA draft justifiably got most of the attention, there seemed to be an inordinate number of college stars, such as DeJuan Blair who went in the second round. Which will make the biggest NBA impact? That's the question for this week's Monday Tip...[details]

HEADERDERRICK PAUL BROWNSmall/Power ForwardXavier University Musketeers#56:07.4-225Dayton, OhioChaminade-Julienne High School

OVERVIEWA two-year starter who showed steady offensive improvement for the Musketeers, Brown became the 47th player in school history to join their 1,000-point club (tied for 35th all-time with Huck Budde, 1950-53, with 1,096 points). A versatile performer who was mostly a power forward, but with his

Brown redshirted during his first season at the university and recently graduated with a double-major in Entrepreneurial Studies and Marketing. Brown announced on April 16 that he wouldn't be signing with an agent, he has until June 15 to decide if he will return to school or remain in the draft.

"I have talked with Derrick and his family," said Xavier head coach Chris Mack. "We're going to get feedback from the NBA and from other people that are in-the-know. Derrick's a smart guy and is going to make a smart decision. I want it to be the decision that's in the best interest of Derrick Brown. I'm going to be behind him 100 percent."

At Chaninade-Julienne High School, Brown was a two-time Division II All-State selection, adding Greater Catholic League North Player of the Year honors. The southpaw shooter earned first-team All-Southwest Ohio honors as a junior and senior, adding Street & Smith's honorable mention All-American recognition during his final campaign. He was also a McDonald's All-American nominee.

Brown led the team to a 20-5 record, averaged 15.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.1 blocks as a senior. The second-team All-State choice as a junior, he averaged 17 points and eight rebounds with shooting 70 percent from the floor in leading Chaminade-Julienne to a 19-8 record as a junior. He helped the team capture three straight GCL North titles and three consecutive district championships.

Brown redshirted in 2005-06 at Xavier. He was a reserve forward who saw action in 34 games the following season, averaging 6.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. 47 of his 141 boards came from the offensive glass. He also blocked 21 shots. He tied the school single-game record with 16 boards vs. Brigham Young in only sixteen minutes of action in the NCAA Tournament.

In 2007-08 Brown moved into the lineup for the Musketeers, starting all 37 games, as he totaled 403 points (10.9 points per game). He pulled down 242 rebounds (6.5 rebounds per game), as he also blocked 30 shots. He was credited with 63 assists and came up with 33 steals from the "4" spot.

Brown garnered national attention for his standout performance in his last two NCAA Tournament appearances, carrying over his efforts into the 2008-09 campaign. He earned All-Atlantic Ten Conference and NABC All-District IV honors, starting all 35 games. He ranked second on the squad in scoring (13.7 points per game), leading the Musketeers in field goals made (170), rebounds (212, 6.1 rebounds per game) and personal fouls (87), as Xavier won their third-straight conference title.

2007-08 SEASONStarted all 37 games, scoring 403 points (10.9 percent), as he shot 60.9 percent from the floor behind 148 of 243 field goals, connecting on 34.4 percent of his 3-pointers (11 of 32) and 70.6 percent of his shots from the foul line (96 of 136)...74 of his 242 rebounds (6.5 per game) came from the offensive glass...Charged with 70 turnovers and 91 personal fouls...Averaged 1.7 assists (63), 0.9 steals (33) and 0.8 blocked shots (30) per game...Scored in double figures 23 times and had five contests with at least ten rebounds, going on to register five double-double performances.

2006-07 SEASONMember of the Atlantic 10 Conference All-Rookie Team...Appeared in 34 games as a reserve forward, registering 214 points (6.3 per game) on 77 of 109 field goals (70.6 percent), 4 of 8 treys (50.0 percent) and 56 of 80 free throws (70.0 percent)...47 of his 141 rebounds (4.1 per game) came off the offensive glass...Handed out 27 assists to go with 17 steals and 21 blocked shots (0.6 bpg), as he was charged with 39 turnovers and had 86 personal fouls...Tied the school game-record with 16 rebounds vs. Brigham Young in the NCAA Tournament.

2005-06 SEASONRed-shirted as a freshman.

CAREER NOTESBrown started 72 of 106 games at Xavier, becoming the 47th player in school history to score over 1,000 points...Totaled 1,096 points (10.3 per game), tying Huck Budde (1950-53) for 35th on the Musketeers' all-time scoring list...Connected on 395 of 689 field goals (57.3 percent), 54 of 130 3-pointers (41.5 percent) and 252 of 351 free throws (71.8 percent)...Grabbed 595 rebounds (5.6 rebounds per game), including 203 from the offensive glass...Blocked 81 shots (0.8 blocks per game), as he handed out 158 assists (1.5 per game) and had 75 steals (0.7 steals per game)...Charged with 170 turnovers and 265 personal fouls...His 16 rebounds vs. Brigham Young in the 2007 NCAA Tournament tied the school single-game record set by Brian Grant vs. Indiana in 1993.

HIGH SCHOOLAttended Chaminade-Julienne (Dayton, Oh.) High School, playing basketball for head coach Joe Staley...Two-time Division II All-State selection, adding Greater Catholic League North Player of the Year honors...The southpaw shooter earned first-team All-Southwest Ohio honors as a junior and senior, adding Street & Smith's honorable mention All-American recognition during his final campaign...McDonald's All-American nominee...Led the team to a 20-5 record, as he averaged 15.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.1 blocks as a senior...The second-team All-State choice as a junior, he averaged 17 points and eight rebounds with shooting 70 percent from the floor in leading Chaminade-Julienne to a 19-8 record as a junior...Helped the team capture three-straight GCL North titles and three consecutive district championships.

INJURY REPORTNo major injuries reported.

PERSONALGraduated in May, 2009 with a double-degree in Entrepreneurial Studies and Marketing...Son of Hermita Brown and Robert Brown...Born Derrick Paul Brown on 9/08/87 in Oakland, California...Resides in Dayton, Ohio.

SCOUTING REPORTPositives: With his growing maturity, Brown "tightened up" several loose areas of his game, both on the offensive and defensive end...Blessed with good athleticism and an outstanding wingspan (7-feet, 2 1/2-inches), he greatly refined his release -- showed much better quickness getting his shot off, but had a deliberate release his first two seasons...Also tightened his handle on the ball, developing a nice crossover while using his court quickness to slash to the rim with urgency...Shoots his jumper chest high (used to fire from his hip or waist), no longer pushing the ball from the midsection...Shows better aggression working on defense, knowing he has limitations due to average lateral agility, but he has the footwork and balance to stay in front of the shooter and uses his power well when boxing out an opponent inside...Has outstanding leaping ability (8 feet, 11 1/2-inch standing reach), to combat for rebounds or deliver a resounding dunk (158 of 395 field goals made, came from Brown dunking the ball)...With his smooth release on his jumper, he made 57.3 percent of his field goal attempts (60 percent from mid-range) and has improved his overall range, almost tripling his successful 3-point shots as a junior (39) than he did in his first two seasons combined (15 total)...Shows effective spin moves and a sharp hesitation move to force slow defenders to commit and then either work the opposite direction or drive by the defense...Parks himself around the rim and has a strong base that makes him tough to push back...Knows how to get the space to create his own shot by utilizing savvy fakes and quick jab moves...Uses his length well to finish and is capable of taking his man off the dribble...Uses long reach to contest shots (81 career blocks) or reach into the passing lane (75 steals)...His crossover moves off the dribble result in more than a 3.0-point increase in his scoring average as a junior...Does not have the size to play power forward in the NBA, but the college experience helped him become a stronger finisher around the rim...Not the greatest ball-handler, but is unselfish distributing the ball and his tighter handle helped him reduce his turnovers (70 in 2007-08, 61 last season)...Shows the ability and newfound confidence to finish at the basket with either hand (was more left-side dominant as a sophomore)...Uses his strong base to box out opponents, but can also split double teams with his leg drive to get to the rim.

Negatives: Lacks great lateral range and can be a step behind slashing wing players...Needs to do stay in front of his man consistently in order to compensate for lateral movement deficiencies...Bit of a "tweener" who is more comfortable with his inside game but lacks the bulk to bang heads with bigger frontcourt types at the next level...Only recently began to develop confidence in his refined shooting technique and improved release shooting from the perimeter...Can still be predictably left-hand dominant...Turnover prone when he keeps the ball on the floor for more than a dribble or two and struggles to shoot off the dribble...Gets out of control with his handle and must show better vision kicking the ball out...Showed better aggression inside last season, but will get passive when he is challenged by more physical defenders in the paint and is then easily backed off (not as often in 2008-09, but this has been an issue with him disappearing for long stretches in the past)...Has good natural strength, but would be even more effective if he bulked up his frame.

Compares To: JOSH HOWARD, Dallas -- The southpaw has an unconventional release, but it is no longer as deliberate as it was his first two years, almost doubling the amount of successful 3-pointers as a junior. With his greatly improved range and overall consistency, he adds a new wrinkle to his offensive game, which generally consisted of dunks and putbacks as a freshman and sophomore. He has great wingspan which will be an asset on defense and shows the ability to cover either forward position at the college level. With his leaping ability, NBA teams would expect him to be better contesting shots, but his work ethic is a plus and he has made improvement in all facets of his game.